The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-12-02
Internal Revenue and the Dem
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OF comfort to the burly Kid Of destiny,
( but puts itself on the abstract HON OF
a dilemma in the manner of parting
with the sweet morscl. ltsays
"BslLey gibbs IL nearer t.ght, uom purely
domocra,ic standpoint, than are some oithose
who would seek to impeach his democracy.
The iu tc hal revenue system IS as distinct
/ lively undemocratic a !. the protective tarin -
AS an abstract proposition tho
internal revenue system il unques-
tionably undemocratic, but in its
relation TO the tariff system OF raising
revenues aud protecting monopolistic
industries. it carries in its veins vitsl
principle of traditional aud tunds
mental democracy, 1t Ia part and
parcel of the protective tariff system.
and ~ such is undem ocratiC; 50, also,
il It's proposed eXtinguishment as "a
measure for reducing the surplus rev.
cnues without corresponding reform
in the customs tariff, undemocratic.
l he democratic party insists that tax
I
les of life, and that in reducing tax
alton TO the revenue only basis, the
revision shall have regard tor those
| industries that are essential to the de-
yelopment of the country's resources
aud useful to the people. Whisk y
and tobacco are not classed as neces e
sarlca, and the adjustment of the tax
on either, or both, would
not lesson the tax burden
imposed by the protective system.
Barney Gibbs might save two or
three hundred dollars a year, in the
possible reduction in the price of tod
dies and cocktails, but the masses
would feel no relief from the onerous
unequal and impoverishing cXactions
of tariff taxation, Tho republican
party Is the high protective party of
/ the country. and it is in their line OF
/ policy TO repeal the internal tax laws.
That Is the party of wealth,
of spoils, and of luXuries, and
their theory Is to collect the
Uulk of the revenues from
articles of prime necessity that oil the
people are obliged to use, and only
nominal cxc isos from the uXuries that
the favored classes only can enjoy.
This is principle of greed, and has
its parallel in the policy of favoring
classes by the protective revenues
| levied on Imports; and these are the
/ upper aud neither mill.stones, between
/ which the masses are ground to poV-
erty and slavery The people have
borne the burden and paid the fraud
/ Till torbearancc has ceased to be a
/ virtue, aud the spirit of revolt has
awakened alarm in the pampered
camps of monopoly and pom
pous palaces OF ll-gotton wealth.
The democracy long since declared the
/ doctrine of tariff for revenue only
and il IL one Of the fun danental priu-
ciplcs of the party that no more teXes
should be taken from the people,
than are absolutely required for the
/ economical administration OF the
government, the payment of the ma
/ tional debt and the pensioning of the
! soldiers and their widows who are
disabled and indigent. The protect
i've tariff and the internal revenue
system bring III a surplus OF about
$4,000 600. the democracy de-
mands a revision of the tarill and
"a reduction of the revenues
to, at least, a molety OF this burdens
some, corruptlng and unnecessary
surplus, and reliet to the consumers
and tax payers to that extent, The
republican party opposes the demand
ed revision and reduction, and insists
that the nation shall continue to pay
subsidy in the shape of a"protcctive
tariff of 45 per cent. on every article
consumed, TO monopolie7 and favored
industries. 1t was this issue, mainly,
that hurled that party from power i'll
1884, and threatens its complete over
throw and dissolution in 1883.
To avoid the mallstrom the
republicans now manifest a will
ingness to strike $60,000,000 from the
colossal surplus, but they are uuwill-
ing to reduce the protective levies, for
that would reduce the profits of the
protected classes and Lighter the peo-
pies burden; hence they propose and
urge the adjustment of the whisky
and tobacco tax. The democrats, on
the contrary, seek revision.o of the
tariff and reduction from that source,
and oppose the repeal OF the internal